Is it true Australia have a giant underground water reserve

Question

Is it true Australia have a giant underground water reserve

Answer 1

Yes, it is called "the ocean".

Answer 2

haha nope.

We have a normal resoviors an lakes.

haha i wish..this drought sucks.

Answer 3

Much of the Australian Inland area is composed of sedimentary rocks, laid down in a marine environment.  Australia is also the worl's flattest continent; averaging only about 330m above sea level.

So in many inland areas, the gentle sloping sandstones dip underground in several sedimentary basins; and the sandstones contain large amounts of trapped water.

The largest of these is the "Great Artesian Basin", of inland eastern Australia, which does contain a large supply of underground water (I think it is the largest artesian basin in the world).

It would seem that this represents a vast supply of water, but there are severe limitations:

- Being marine sediments, the water in some areas is salty.

- Pumping of water from underground bores has depleted the reserves in some areas

- The 'catchment areas' (where the sediments are exposed on the surface) are relatively small in area, so the natural replenishment would be very slow, and it would take thousands of years for fresh supplies to percolate through the strata.  The basins are therefore not renewable resources

- Pumping very soon depletes the water in the area around each bore, and it doesn't take much before they stop supplying water.

- Drawing water from underground resevoirs can also bring salty water to the surface.  Thousands of square miles of agricultural land have been ruined through unwise over-usage of underground water.  This is one of Australia's greatest environental challenges.

With moderate and controlled use, the great artesian basin and others does supply ater sufficient for watering cattle, for instance.  It would not be sufficient for large scale agriculture, particularly due to the hazard of saline intrusion.

Answer 4

No just sheep and kangaroos.

Answer 5

I heared that Australians are clever in saving the water.They store the full rain water in a large tank and use it for gardening and other purposes.They are also sending back the water ultimately to earth that keeps the under ground lever constant.  

Answer 6

There is natural water undergound that is used in Perth, I think the same thing occurs elsewhere in the country too.

http://portal.water.wa.gov.au/portal/pag...